I Done Done It
The deed is done. I bought a brand new 2023 Honda CT125 Trail. It’s home in the garage sipping power through a Battery Tender waiting for a little warmer weather. It was sunny and 17F this morning but the clarion call of cold weather riding no longer shouts louder than my desire to curl up in the house with a cup of hot chocolate or tea.
But this week the thermometer will point toward the 40F mark so the Honda CT125 Trail should see its first experience of the beautiful Central Pennsylvania landscapes.
Synchronicity
My friend Paul and I had been talking about both getting a Honda 125 Trail so we could ride together in the mountains here. When he sold his KTM 390 Adventure and was left with a Harley Sportster I began riding alone on the dirt and gravel.
I knew he was looking and that he had gone to pick a 2021 Honda 125 Trail. He didn’t know that I was in the process of buying one the same day.
Now we’re in synch again.
Words of Appreciation
When I began muttering about replacing my Royal Enfield Himalayan with something lighter I received a lot of comments, advice, and reactions. Before I go on I want to express my gratitude for that input. My own mind is often a chaotic swirl of indecision, misinformation, non-useful emotion, and myriad other things that seem to make decision making difficult. The input I received both here and on my YouTube channel was extremely helpful to my journey to this point. Thank you for the time and wisdom shared.
Thank you.
Hauling the Honda home left me feeling good about my decision and excited at the prospects for adventures that it will offer. Slow, laid back explorations of the hundreds of miles of dirt and gravel roads here is exciting. And without the rational/irrational concerns I was beginning to feel with the Himalayan and potential risks it posed for my aging body.
Poor Planning
I had been looking for both used and new Honda Trail bikes for a couple weeks. They’re pretty rare here in Pennsylvania. And the only easily accessible new one was just 45 minutes away at Roundhouse Powersports in Duncansville, Pennsylvania. An opportunity presented itself for clear weather, available pickup truck of a friend, and so off we went. But any hopes of riding were dashed a few hours later when it started to snow.
At least we got home before that mess began.
My Beloved Royal Enfield Himalayan.
I’m still riding the Himalayan. On the pavement there are no concerns or issues about it being a risk. It’s fun to ride and it checks all the riding boxes for me. It was just not feeling right anymore off the pavement.
Now I’m wondering what happens next. I own five machines now. The Vespa GTS is still out for maintenance but four are a tight fit in a small, single car garage. I can theoretically fit five machines in the garage but it would likely entail some annoying moto-gymnastics. Part of me envisions keeping the Himalayan. And another part sees it listed on Facebook Marketplace.
Winter Riding Commitment
I don’t winterize anything. Well, I do make sure the antifreeze in the Vespa GTS250 can handle the cold. But otherwise I ride everything at least once every couple weeks throughout the winter. Luckily for me the weather in recent years has made that possible. But with five machines it is just a bigger challenge. Even for the little 20-25 mile rides for machine health.
A recent ride on my 2001 Kawasaki W650 reminded me of how much I enjoy that motorcycle. Even as a naked machine in cold weather. And how fortunate I am to have a variety of machines to ride that each deliver their own unique experience.
But they do require some work.
Reminders of Gratitude
My friend Howard and I had breakfast last week and afterwards took a long walk around some of Penn State’s Arboretum properties. It was cold. But it was nice to walk and talk with a friend. The subject of the Honda Trail came up and he offered to drive his truck if I should buy something. That’s the second time. He hauled my Himalayan home when I bought it.
And as I walked I thought about the good fortune that has come my way in this life. Along with pain and suffering. But all of it is part of the reality that presents itself on a day to day basis. My job is to look at it and move on the best way possible. On this cold morning it was with a smile.
Green better looking. TW 2OO yamaha are VERY competent\fun!!
The green is growing on me from my brief visits to the Honda in the garage. I considered the TW200 but it just wasn’t right for me.
Looks good Steve. Paul and You will be able to skip over those little stones with ease.
Enjoy the ride.
I expect some easy riding on the little Honda. I’ll let you know how it goes.
As we get older do we get smaller and slower…I chime with that on many fronts…
best wishes
Chris
Lincoln UK
Smaller and slower certainly has been my philosophy for a long time, even before aging intervened. I’m looking forward to riding the Trail 125 in the mountains here.
I hope it works out for you. Lean on Paul for advice on how to best use its characteristics off road.
Paul always wants to do wheelies and burnouts. I just watch!
Congratulations Steve on a great choice with the Honda CT125 Trail! Save your first ride on it for a warm day when you can really enjoy the new Honda and all of its capabilities.
I am so looking forward to reading about the new discoveries and adventures this wonderful machine will reveal to you!
I’m not sure I can wait for a really warm day. I’ll likely sneak a little ride in this week when the temperature hits 40.
There will be more to report in the coming weeks!
Always enjoy your missives. Enjoy your new machine peace and safety from NH.
Thank you John. I’m looking forward to another chapter in my riding life.
The CT looks great! Looking forward to your photographs and experiences with it to follow.
There will be more here soon and on YouTube at some point.
Heureux Steve Williams, chez nous en Europe la Honda 125 Trail n’est pas importée à cause des normes antipollution qui sont sévères…
Laurent de France.
Happy Steve Williams, here in Europe the Honda 125 Trail is not imported because of the anti-pollution standards which are strict…
Laurent of France.
That’s strange that it would have emission challenges. Such a small engine. And with fuel injection. Maybe the lack of a catalytic converter is the issue.
C’est étrange qu’il y ait des problèmes d’émissions. Un si petit moteur. Et avec injection de carburant. Peut-être que l’absence de pot catalytique est en cause.
Steve, ton Français est impeccable!
Kudos to Google Translate!
putt putt putt . . Congratulations! . . putt putt putt
Your last comments are reminding me of a book I just finished, Garrison Keillor’s “Cheerfulness.”
It has a surprisingly more powerful sound than putt putt putt. A low, quiet, vroom….
I have always enjoyed Garrison Keillor’s work. I’ll have to check out “Cheerfulness.”
Congratulations Steve! I hope you enjoy your Hunter Cub as much as I have mine! One small word of caution – keep your expectations in check on unusually steep hills. It can be a dog uphill. But for those back road/gravel road/fire road rides, I have found it to be perfect in so many ways. And you might want to swap out the OEM tires fairly quickly. I’m so looking forward to your first ride videos!
I’m excited to see how it performs. I expect it to be slow. Not quite Honda Ruckus slow but not as fast as the ET4. I’m sure I’ll have fun regardless of what the performance is like.
I’ve heard the tires aren’t great off-road. But it is hard to imagine they won’t be fine for this old, slow rider.
Congrats Steve and enjoy, looking forward to upcoming CT dispatches. BTW, Green with envy!
There will be more photos and videos in the future. If the snow would just melt…
Congratulations on the new bike Steve. I’ve been lookin around for something smaller than my VStrom which is really too heavy for me. I will look forward to your posts to see how the 125 is doing
The snow, salt, and now melting snow with salty water has kept me from riding the shiny new Honda much. Only two miles so far. Just enough for me to realize I have to acclimate to the heel shifter and that the Himalayan is a rocket!
Looking forward to seeing how I react to this smaller, lighter, and even slower motorcycle!
You have a lot of activity in this posting. Lots of forward motion in your life. More motorcycles than you ever had. I guess the Honda Trail will be the most fun. The big scooter is most practical. The Kawasaki retro to coolest. (to me)
I have a lot of machines now. Almost as many as you have. I don’t have any fancy red sports cars though.
I’m looking forward to some adventures on the Honda Trail 125 as soon as the snow melts in the mountains and things dry out a bit.
Hi Steve! Although I can completely understand your wish to downsize, and to get a Honda Trail (which I also find a very cool bike), I am nonetheless somewhat surprised at how fast you went from praising the Himalayan (2 years ago) to wanting to get rid of it. Is there an ulterior motive, i.e. the overwhelming desire for something new? I had a Himalayan for a year and traded it for something else, and have regretted selling it ever since. And I never found it to be particularly heavy, although it is certainly porky compared to the power it has. At any rate, I wish you all the best riding the new Honda, and am very jealous of all the dirt roads you have to choose from. Here in Germany it is quite hard to find an unpaved road that is legal to ride a motorcycle on.
I still love the Himalayan. And I’m not wild about getting rid of it but space limitations may intervene. But when you get older two years can change things in a hurry. I could tell I was becoming uneasy at times on the Himalayan — alone, out of cell range, and on dicey roads. I could sense the size of the motorcycle and the growing weakness in my body should I drop the thing. It could all be irrational thinking on my part but it was there.
I’ve only ridden the Honda Trail 125 two miles so far. But already I can tell you that the Himalayan is a rocket ship in comparison. All the speed and power drivel is all relative to what you’re riding and what your expectations are for performance.
Will I sell the Himalayan? I’m not sure. I still love riding in on the pavement. And maybe off road if someone else is riding with me.
You may not have the dirt roads we have but you do have the Autobahn!
Good choice, Steve. Interesting timing as last night I was looking for something to keep me entertained. I looked up Daily Rider on YouTube and found an episode where Zack Courts and Ari Henning rode from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay. Zack rode a new Honda CT125 Trail like yours. Ari rode a forty year old Trail 90. It was 800 miles and included some rough dirt roads and soft sand. The new Honda held up perfectly. Ari’s old Trail 90 had some issues but that was to be understood as he had just bought it after it sat for 20 years. You may find it entertaining too.
I saw that feature on YouTube. I think Revzilla produced or presented it. Kind of amazing what a little machine can do. I’m looking forward to seeing what sorts of adventures will emerge from the Trail 125. It is slow though. Really slow. But I don’t think it will impede smiles!
Enjoy that smaller motorcycle Steve! I love my ’87 R80 (which you’ve ridden), but she’s heavy and definitely not something one takes on the interesting dirt trails.
Thanks Dom. I have fond memories of your ’87 R80. I was looking for one when I came across the ’92 BMW K75C. But it got a little heavy and definitely wasn’t right for the dirt and gravel roads here. I also considered a TW200 but the Trail 125 just caught my eye. As soon as the mountains dry out a bit I’m anxious to see how it does.
G’day Steve! Ooh what a nice bike you’ve bought there and gee… it just oozes style and I can definitely see the appeal!! Like many others here I look forward to hearing about your adventures with it going forward. Additionally I can certainly understand the desire for a lighter bike – it makes perfect sense. Enjoy it!!
It’s a lot of fun. I’ve not had the opportunity to ride it much yet but I’ll be reporting soon.
Hello Mr Steve,
Not long ago the post was when is it time to stop riding.I think you may have found another angle with what machine and for what kind of riding suits you for most of the Year. Wow I like that new Honda and I bet you will too. Thanks again for all the years of adventures and just good stuff for all us riders. Have fun ,b safe friend. Dr.Don
The weather, snow, ice, and mud, have kept me from riding the Trail 125 much. But a few days ago my friend Paul and I clawed our way through the snow and ice over a mountain to the sunny side and did some rough trail. I already love the bike. I’ll post something in the coming week.